Satellite Healthcare is a successful, nonprofit organization that has improved the lives of people living with kidney disease since 1973. We earn our national reputation for excellent patient care each day by offering a complete range of dialysis therapy choices, personalized clinical services, and unparalleled wellness education.

Satellite Healthcare provides expert, personalized kidney care at over 80 centers across the U.S. as well as at acute dialysis locations in California and Texas. Learn more about Satellite Healthcare at www.satellitehealth.com .

The Staff Nurse functions as a coordinator of patient care collaborating with other care providers and health team members to provide required care. The Staff Nurse acts as a patient teacher and advocate, assisting the patient in seeking information, assuring the patient has the opportunity for informed consent for treatment decisions, and promotes the maximum level of patient-desired independence.

The Staff Nurse actively participates in professional role development activities including continuing education, quality assessment and improvement, and the review and clinical application of research findings. The Staff Nurse develops ethically sound practice and confronts ethical challenges through application of the Nephrology Nursing Standards of Practice and Standards of Care.

All work performed by the Staff Nurse is under the direct supervision of on-premises Charge Nurse.

Essential Functions The essential functions listed are not a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned. All employees must work in accordance with Satellite's I-CARE Standards. Employees must abide by all Satellite's standards of patient care, patient's rights and ethical treatment, and adhere to safety and quality programs.

Observes and records patient's responses to renal failure and its treatments; performs thorough patient assessments as evidenced by documentation and feedback to the Charge Nurse

Awareness of the general course of all patients on the shift, as well as the general condition of all patients in the unit; draws upon this knowledge to individualize treatments

Administers ordered medications per SHC procedures; understands and teaches principles of safe dosage in ESRD, including the reason for giving medication and possible side effects

Obtains laboratory specimens as ordered and performs routine tests

Demonstrates an understanding of the implications of common lab results as they apply to the ESRD patient; confers with experienced Charge Nurse, dietitian and physician about abnormal findings

Delegates responsibilities appropriately and follows through in seeing that all delegated responsibilities have been carried out in both routine and emergency situations

Understands legal consequences of nursing actions both immediate and long term

Promotes patient education and self-management of ESRD by accurately assessing patients' readiness to learn; plans and implements appropriate teaching method for each patient, evaluates and documents patients' learning; assists other staff members in developing these skills

Actively participates in facility's Quality Assurance Improvement program by the use of data to monitor the outcomes of care processes

Participates in in-service education programs

Maintains professional competence through participation in continuing education

Helps maintain neat and clean environment

Integrates best practices with evidence based standards in care interventions

Promotes an environment of safety to minimize the risk of harm to patients

Performs other duties as assigned

Communications

Contributes and promotes teamwork to create a harmonious and constructive working relationship with all staff by offering information, advice, and assistance in a positive, courteous, and cooperative manner

Participates in self and/or peer evaluations

Ensures the confidentiality of patient and employee information

Understands and uses Satellite's communication techniques:

o Greets patients by name

o Speak English only in patient care area unless translating

o Listens to understand, not judge

o Focuses on the message being sent

o Uses reflective listening

o Allows patients to express concerns appropriately

o Manages conflict in a positive way

o Acknowledges problems/situations from the patient's point of view

o Empathizes

o Apologizes (without blame)

Education

Looks for opportunities to develop clinical expertise

Participates in research studies and/or protocols as directed

Participates in peer group meeting and problem solving

Teaching

Accurately assesses patient's readiness to learn; plans and implements appropriate teaching methods for each patient and evaluates the patient's learning

Demonstrates the ability to effectively teach all therapies offered with collaboration from experienced Charge Nurse

Customer Service

Responsible for driving the Satellite Healthcare culture through values and customer service standards

Accountable for outstanding customer service to all external and internal customers

Develops and maintains effective relationships through effective and timely communication

Takes initiative and action to respond, resolve and follow up regarding customer service issues with all customers in a timely manner

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Graduation from an accredited nursing school or equivalent, BSN preferred

Experience: One (1) year Registered Nurse general nursing experience; or completion of Satellite Healthcare ESRD RN Intern program

License/Certification(s):Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of practice; current CPR certification

Additional requirement for Texas: Six (6) months experience in the applicable modality (HD, PD, or HHD)

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Understands the Nurse Practice Act and Responsibilities

Proficient computer skills- e.g. Outlook, Word

Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and satisfactorily communicate in English

Understands basic renal function and the consequences of renal failure

Comprehends and follows all Satellite policies and procedures for infection control; understands the hazards associated with failing to follow those procedures

Able to use tools for information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate errors and support decision-making through documentation

Candidates not meeting the Staff Nurse qualifications may be considered for the Clinical Nurse job category. Candidates selected as a Clinical Nurse will require additional training in our in-house training program.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Graduation from an accredited nursing school or equivalent, BSN preferred

Experience: One (1) year Registered Nurse general nursing experience

License/Certifications: Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of practice; current CPR certification

In addition to basic educational preparation to function as a registered professional nurse, the Staff Nurse or Clinical Nurse requires a specific knowledge base and demonstrated clinical expertise in kidney disease care beyond that acquired in a basic nursing program.

All nephrology nurses must have a common knowledge base relevant to all aspects of care for adult kidney patients and their families. This knowledge base includes but is not limited to:

Anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology

The nursing process as applied to nephrology nursing

Knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment for patients requiring any method of renal replacement therapy

Satellite Healthcare – Improving the Lives of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)In 1973, Norman S. Coplon, M.D. began Satellite Healthcare with the objective of improving the quality of life of his dialysis patients. Dr. Coplon established Satellite Healthcare as a not-for-profit, community benefit organization, which allows us to focus primarily on patients.Four decades later, Satellite Healthcare has shaped CKD healthcare in our industry, and continues to elevate the standards of patient care and innovation.Today, we provide a range of expert services to patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Satellite strives to individualize each patient's care to help him or her enjoy their life to the fullest.Satellite Dialysis — We operate 40 high-quality, state-of-the-art, patient-friendly dialysis centers that meet the long-term clinical needs of more than 4,000 CKD patients.Satellite WellBound — With more than 20 centers in place, we focus on personalized training and support for patients performing dialysis at home. In addition, WellBound provides a robust complement of pre-dialysis patient wellness education programs that can help prevent or slow the progression of early st...age CKD.At each of our centers, we put our patients first by providing:Compassionate care with a personalized touchWellness education to empower longer, healthier livesBest clinical practices resulting in outcomes that consistently exceed industry performance standards Opportunities for nephrologists to focus on their patients in comfortable, state-of-the-art environmentsIn addition to patient care, our clinical research division works on finding medical breakthroughs for CKD patients by conducting both internal and external research.For more information, contact Info@SatelliteHealth.com.